Thus Kindly I Scatter
by Niteloc
Summary: They shouldn't be here, there are too many of them. Summer Rose's last stand


"What are they doing here?" she yelled out to her partner  
"I don't know, but there are too many of them. We need help" He stared off into the distance  
"This isn't right," The woman looked from under her hood "They don't attack like this"  
"They'll go right through us" her partner replied "And Ruby is in the cabin"  
"Take them and run" she reached up for the handle at her shoulder, pulling out a sword which stood almost as tall as her, and half as wide  
"I'm not leaving you Summer" the man standing next to her reached for his own weapon, revealing a large black scythe.

the door to the cabin opened, a young girl was standing at the door, she was wrapped in a red cloak, her dark hair was almost completely hidden by the hood pulled down over her head. Her face was twisted in a mix of emotions, the noise outside had woken her, she was scared, but she had to be brave, so she stood silently in the doorway.

"Ruby" the woman in the white cloak turned, revealing a kind face "You're going to go with Uncle Qrow, he is going to take you to somewhere safe, then he'll get help and come back to get me. Okay?"  
"I'm not going mommy" she revealed a small wooden sword "I'm helping you fight"  
"Ruby Rose Long," she knelt down, looking her five year old daughter in the eye "It's like stubbornness runs through your fathers blood, all you Long's are the same" she smiled and glanced back at Qrow

She turned back to her partner, he leant his scythe next to him, even with the crescent blade, it stood up to his shoulder, he had since pulled from his jacket a large revolver, and was taking potshots at the advancing Beowulves. He wasn't even taking time to aim, there were so many of them, he didn't need to, he only needed to fire.

"Qrow, take Ruby, and run and get Ozpin, he will help"  
"You run, I'm already handling them" Qrow was reloading his revolver  
"You're faster than me, leave Ruby with your brother, then get Ozpin" she leant on the hilt of her sword

Qrow placed the revolver back into his jacket, there was no point arguing with her right now, and he had to get Ruby out of harms way. He placed his scythe on his back, the blade folding so it ran along the length of the pole. He turned and lifted up his niece, ensuring to wrap her in her cloak as he did so.

"Summer, for god's sake, don't use it" he looked at his partner.  
"I won't unless I have no other option" she lifted the sword out of the snow

* * *

Qrow ran, he had to reach the city, and he didn't have much time, he had no other option, Summer could only hold them for so long, and even if she could stop them from reaching the city, he wasn't sure that she would survive it.

"Ozpin!" Qrow screamed, running into the apartment they shared

The man sitting at the desk spun around, he had dark hair, and was dressed in green cargo pants, and a long sleeved shirt.

"Qrow?" Ozpin sounded confused "What's wrong?"  
"They're attacking, Summer's fighting"  
"What will we do with her daughter?" Ozpin said, calm as ever  
"Her father is meeting me here" Qrow said as the latch on the door clicked open

A man with long, blonde hair walked into the room, holding the hand of a seven year old girl, clearly taking features from his side of the family, and upon seeing his brother standing there with his daughter in his arms, immediately felt a sense of dread.

"Where's Summer?" He asked  
"Not now, Brother" Said Qrow, holding up a hand in his direction  
"You don't think that she-" Ozpin was cut off  
"She didn't say she wouldn't"

The man with the blonde hair was now getting angry, he was worried about his wife, he ran up and grabbed his brother by the collar of his coat

"If something has happened to Summer tell me now!" he yelled  
"She's fighting a particularly large pack of Beowulves, I'm worried they might get the better of her"  
"What are you worried she might do? Beowulves have never been a problem for her in the past"  
"It's the hidden Rose semblance" Qrow began to explain "It's known as Scatter, it's where the motto of her family comes from, it allows her to destroy all the Grimm in the area, it however takes a huge toll on her aura, she won't be able to survive it should she use it"

"Why did she never tell me about this?" The man was furious

"All due respect, as much as you may love Summer, nobody knows a huntress as well as her partner" Ozpin said as he lifted his jacket from the back of his chair, and sliding it onto his shoulders, walked over to the wall, lifting his sword off its mount

"Glynda is already on her way to meet us, We have to go, Qrow, now!" He slid the sword into a sheath hidden in his jacket.  
"Look after the girls brother!" Qrow yelled, as the two turned on their heels, both running out the door, they didn't have very much time left, Summer might have already used Scatter, or she may still be fighting, there was no way to tell until they arrived.

Glynda caught the pair down the street, they ran as hard as they could back to the field, Qrow held back until they were in the sight of the field, allowing himself to inject extra adrenaline into his blood, he ran faster and faster.

* * *

Summer swung her sword, cleaving the nearest Beowulf in half, she continued to use her aura to add to her own strength, white petals flew from her sword with each swing. The bodies of the beasts she was fighting were blowing away in the wind, their blood still stained the snow.

Qrow jumped in front of his partner, and with a single swing of his scythe cut three Beowulves in half, he continued to add to his adrenaline levels, allowing his speed to increase exponentially, he continued to swing the blade with a single hand, felling numerous beasts in front of him.

"Where's Ozpin?" Summer yelled, her voice laced with anger  
"He's coming, with Glynda, the four of us can handle this!" Qrow could sense the drop in his partners aura.

The field suddenly grew bright, and crystals fell from the sky above them, piercing the skulls of numerous Beowulves in front of them, then a sword, glowing brightly with fire as its owner held down its handle, sliced through a large number of them.

"Formation three!" Ozpin yelled, as he landed, the four quickly standing back to back.  
"There are too many of them!" Summer yelled  
"We can handle it!" Glynda created a field around her team, protecting them  
"Break!" Ozpin yelled, pulling down on the handle of his sword

Qrow, Ozpin and Summer all ran in separate directions, Glynda stood her ground, using her dust and aura to protect the team.

"It's no use!" Summer screamed when they rejoined, dropping her sword "I need to do it!"  
"No!" Screamed Qrow "there is another way!"

It was too late, the rose petals had already began to fly around her, their white colour blending in with the snow, her team could feel as their partners aura drained rapidly, but watched on in awe as the petals cut through the Beowulves surrounding them. The sight was beautiful, but the three who would remain watched the beauty in sadness, they felt as the last part of life in their best friend slipped away, then heard what was almost a whisper to them.

"Thus kindly I scatter"

* * *

"Where is Summer?"  
"Not now Brother," Qrow said  
"Where is my wife Qrow?" He bellowed, his daughters sitting in the corner, Yang was reading Ruby a story

Ozpin walked in the door behind Qrow, carrying a large sword, the handle wrapped in a white cloak

"I am sorry friend" He said, his voice in a soft tone "She did what we had feared she may" He leant the sword up against the wall.

Qrow was kneeling beside his nieces, he had tears streaming down his face, Yang soon joined him, Ruby was still too young to understand, she kept asking when her mother would be coming home.

* * *

Hunters are returned to their academies if they die in combat, it was tradition at Beacon to cremate the body of the fallen warrior, along with their weapon, which would serve them in the next life. Summer Rose was not afforded that honour, her pyre contained only a large sword wrapped in a cloak. This was when it hit Ruby that her mother had lied, no matter how many people told her that her mother was a hero, she had left her, she had promised that she would be back, but she hadn't.

Summer Rose had given her life to protect Vale, and to protect her people. That didn't matter to Ruby Rose Long, she wanted her mother to come home again, even though she knew she never would.


End file.
